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<title>Catra's Day by Pok Chookity (Pok_Chookity)</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26476747">Catra's Day</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pok_Chookity/pseuds/Pok%20Chookity'>Pok Chookity (Pok_Chookity)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>A Bit of Fluff, Angst, F/F</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:49:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,113</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26476747</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pok_Chookity/pseuds/Pok%20Chookity</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A day in a life of Catra in the Horde</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adora/Catra (She-Ra)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Catra's Day</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Originally I gave it an M rating but then someone pointed out it might not merit it, so I changed it to T. But I’m still giving a warning for the swearing and lots of negative feelings in this one.</p><p>The quote is from a Guns n’ Roses song.</p><p>Yes, I am that old lol.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <cite>When you’re talking to yourself<br/>
And nobody’s home<br/>
You can fool yourself<br/>
You came in this world alone<br/>
Alone</cite>
</p><p>
  <cite>W. Axl Rose, "Estranged"</cite>
</p><p> </p><p><br/>
   “Brrr, what’s with the cold today,” Adora says, sitting on her bunk huddled in a blanket. It’s a rare occasion when the rest of their squad’s dorm is empty.</p><p>   “I heard Lord Hordak is running some sort of research,” Catra says. “The power will be diverted from heating for today.”</p><p>   “It must be important,” Adora nods assertively. “Hey, aren’t you cold?”</p><p>   “I’ve got fur, duh.”</p><p>   “Reeeally.” Adora smirks her dorky smirk at her.</p><p>   Ah, she knows her too well. Well, her fur is not THAT long.</p><p>   She smirks back and climbs in the bunk with her. Adora promptly repositions the blanket around both of them and Catra rests her head on her shoulder, content.</p><p>   Adora’s hand finds its way to her ear and she’s about to start purring to her gentle scratches when she gets distracted.</p><p>   “Hey, what’s that smell,” Catra starts sniffing at her and Adora bats her away with her hands, laughing.</p><p>   “It’s that princess bot exploded. Boom! Bot guts everywhere. Now I smell like charred wires,” Adora sniffs at the shoulder of her white horde turtle neck.</p><p>   “That won’t do.” Catra leers and bumps her head at the spot Adora was inspecting. Then proceeds rubbing with the back of her head and neck against her shoulder, the side of her neck, brushing Adora’s cheek with her ears for good measure and sending her into a fit of giggles.</p><p>   “Now you smell of me,” Catra all but purrs.</p><p>   “Gross,” Adora giggles.</p><p>   Yeah, right, keep telling yourself that. Catra grins, smugly surveying her handiwork. Wait, what’s that devious glint in those blue-gray eyes for?</p><p>   “My turn!” Adora tackles her, and suddenly she’s pinned down and Adora starts imitating what she did, a little clumsily but very determined.</p><p>   “Adooorrraaa…” A wave of pleasure runs down Catra’s spine to the very tip of her tail, making her want to knead something.</p><p>   “You’re so weird,” Adora snickers.</p><p>   Yes, weird, gross, whatever, just keep doing that.</p><p>   “Morrrre…” Catra arches her back.</p><p>   Adora laughs and gives her more in earnest.</p><p>   Catra gasps.</p><p>   And wakes up.</p><p>   “Ugh.”</p><p>   She rolls over and looks up at the ceiling of her Force Captain quarters.</p><p>   This again. She scrunches her face in frustration, baring a single fang.</p><p>   Why does she still get these stupid dreams. Ones where Adora is nice. Where Adora is kind. If Adora has to invade her dreams like that she could at least be like when she defeats her, bound and gagged and at her total mercy. That at least could be fun. Because Adora isn’t nice. Or kind. Adora has left her. Adora is her enemy.</p><p>   Catra rolls out of bed and pads over to the sink.</p><p>   She splashes water in her face and looks at her reflection in the sink’s mirror. A short soggy fur and a pair of mismatched eyes stare back at her. She frowns. Sees a small scratch in the glass that must’ve come from her taking a swing at it earlier. Picks at it with her claw. It gets a little bigger.</p><p>   Anyway. Lets see what this new glorious day in the Horde has to offer.</p><p>   She gets dressed, dons her Force Captain badge and heads out.</p><p>*</p><p>   “And Entrapta said she wanted to see you.”</p><p>   As usual, Scorpia goes on in her annoyingly upbeat manner, walking alongside her way too closely for her liking. What can she possibly even BE so cheerful about? She really doesn’t feel like dealing with this right now.</p><p>   “Scorpia, do you remember what I said about giving me personal space in the mornings?” Catra mutters through her teeth.</p><p>   “Oh, sorry, sorry. Extra morning personal space, I do remember.”</p><p>   “Good.”</p><p>   They continue down the corridor, Scorpia flipping a page in her notes by skewering it with her pincer.</p><p>   “So then there’s another Force Captain Orientation meeting taking place at noon, I really suggest attending this time.”</p><p>   “I’m not doing that. Also I’m second in command and I don’t need to.”</p><p>   “Yes, yes. But you never know when something they say might come in handy. I know it did for me when-”</p><p>   “Scorpia, I don’t have the time for stupid meetings, not when I need to-”</p><p>   “KYLE!” She notices the skinny blond cadet.</p><p>   “Why aren’t you in training, KYLE?”</p><p>   Kyle pales and stutters, “F-Force Captain Catra?”</p><p>   “You don’t want to get caught unprepared by a Princess, do you?” She steps over to him and he backs away to the wall. Catra smirks. This could be fun. She gets in close and runs a single seductive claw down his chest. “Aww. We wouldn’t want you to get captured, would we? I don’t know what we’d do without you.” She drawls, nearly brushing him.</p><p>   If the way Kyle gets even paler is any indication, he’s wondering if Force Captain Catra is for real. Anything of that nature to do with her is clearly terrifying.</p><p>   Catra chuckles and makes a sweet smile at him. “Well go on, KYLE.”</p><p>   He quickly retreats.</p><p>   Motivating the troops, check.</p><p>   She takes a pleased breath. That made her feel a little better. Adora totally would not have approved this kind of trick on Kyle. But Adora isn’t here, is she.</p><p>   Scorpia looks on, a little freaked out and probably conflicted about whether she should say anything.</p><p>   Speaking of princesses. “Lets go see Entrapta,” Catra says.</p><p>*</p><p>   “Scorpia says you have news for me.”</p><p>   “That’s right!” Entrapta rises on her hair-tentacle legs. “My new project is fascinating!”</p><p>   That’s more like it. Her new projects keep bringing them closer and closer to defeating the Princesses.</p><p>   “Is that a new bot? Or a new weapon? Oh, is it a way to take down She-Ra?” Catra feels her fur prickle.</p><p>   “It’s a translator for Rogelio.”</p><p>   A pause.</p><p>   “WHAT?”</p><p>   “A device that would translate what he says. I’m very excited at the prospect.”</p><p>   “Entrapta… wha- why would you even-”</p><p>   “Because people were asking for it?…” Entrapta says cluelessly.</p><p>   “What people? Entrapta-”</p><p>   Catra rakes her hair backwards with her hands, sucking in a breath.</p><p>   “Entrapta.” She grits through her teeth. “What about defeating Princesses. The thing we are trying to do? You do remember that this is also what Hordak wants?”</p><p>   And he was very clear about what would happen if she doesn’t deliver. The experience of an absence of air felt even worse than Shadow Weaver’s immobilizing magic currents. Something she didn’t think was possible.</p><p>   “Oh that. I do have something for you!”</p><p>   Well finally.</p><p>   “It’s a princess dampening field prototype! It should dampen their powers. I could upgrade a few bots with emitters by noon if you would like me to.”</p><p>   “Oh, I would.” Powerless princesses. Something to level the field. To let her play on her strengths and show them they’re not better than her. To show Adora that they’re not better than her. And to show Adora that she’s not better either, when she defeats her.</p><p>   Catra turns to Scorpia. “Get Lonnie and Rogelio and help Entrapta prepare the bots. I’ll meet you when it’s done.”</p><p>   “What will you be up to? Can I help?”</p><p>   Scorpia, ever so wanting to hang out. Not this time though.</p><p>   “Nah. I just have a few things to do.”</p><p>*</p><p>   “Did you come to gloat again?” Shadow Weaver asks her.</p><p>   She seems to look worse than the last time, sitting on the floor of her cell in her energy shackles. Well serves her right.</p><p>   “Something like that.” Catra looks at her through the force field. “Was just curious how are you liking it in there. Feeling quite powerless I imagine. Not a very pleasant feeling, huh?"</p><p>   Shadow Weaver turns away to look at the wall.</p><p>   Nothing to say, huh. After all those things that she had no problem saying to her before. Figures. Catra stares at her for a while.</p><p>   She does look worse.</p><p>   “I also brought you your food. So eat. Or whatever.” She slides the tray though the force field and walks away.</p><p>   Shadow Weaver turns and watches her leave.</p><p>*</p><p>   “Look alive, Rogelio! What’s that? I don’t understand you. Lonnie get those field emitters feeds double checked!” Catra shouts out orders as the final preparations are under way in one of the Horde’s vehicle hangars.</p><p>   At least Kyle seems to understand Rogelio, because the crate the magilizard was carrying does go where she wanted. And Lonnie gets those checks done in record time. She was right to push them hard.</p><p>   This will work. Entrapta’s tech is sound. The strategy is devised and is devious. Lure out. Divide. Dampen. Conquer. Now they will finally see.</p><p>   “The importance of this mission cannot be overstated,” she addresses her squad lined up in front of her.</p><p>   One of her ears starts twitching involuntary. It’s in anticipation of the battle. Not because she’s afraid to loose.</p><p>   “Failure will not be tolerated!”</p><p>*</p><p>   “Explain yourself, Force Captain Catra.” Hordak stares her down from his workstation in his sanctum.</p><p>   “We’ve run into unforeseen circumstances.”</p><p>   She is starting to run out of new reasonable explanations for why they fail. Her ear twitches. She will look calm.</p><p>   “I grow weary of your excuses.”</p><p>   His eyes narrow at her. The atmosphere removal lever is right there, within his arm’s reach.</p><p>   But Entrapta and Scorpia are there too, and Entrapta goes off like nothing terrible is happening.</p><p>   “Oh, it wasn’t a total bust. We’ve collected very valuable data! It will definitely help me with devising new weapons!”</p><p>   Hordak gives Entrapta a gauging look.</p><p>   “Hm.”</p><p>   His way of saying fine.</p><p>   Guess who’s the new favorite. Catra feels a pulse of her claws in her fingers.</p><p>   Hordak turns back to her, his red glowy eyes unreadable. “I expect you to do better next time, Force Captain. Failure will not be tolerated.”</p><p>   With that they are dismissed.</p><p>   When they exit the sanctum Scorpia is trying to be cheerful.</p><p>   “Well, that wasn’t so bad.”</p><p>   Catra turns to her. The look she gives her finally makes Scorpia shut up.</p><p>*</p><p>   Failure. Another failure. Of course they found out how to overcome the dampening field. Of course She-Ra showed up and ruined everything.</p><p>   Catra walks through a Fright Zone corridor in a haze. She doesn’t notice several soldiers and cadets who nervously get out of her way, one look at her disheveled appearance and the expression on her face sending them scurrying to safety. She couldn’t care less even if she did notice.</p><p>   If it wasn’t for Entrapta talking Hordak down, she wouldn’t be here right now. Apparently the geek is on his good side now. Even though her inventions are far from perfect. It’s still her he trusts. While all her own efforts, her practically running the Horde by herself, go unnoticed. Again. No matter what she does she can’t prove anything to anyone.</p><p>   She steps into her quarters and closes the door behind her.</p><p>   And all because of Adora. She just has to win, doesn’t she. Has to be the perfect fucking hero who’s better than everybody.</p><p>   Catra lashes out at the wall with her claws, releasing yells of anger and hurt, leaving several long claw marks.</p><p>   Stares around her room, panting. Nothing else breakable seems to be in reach.</p><p>   Crosses over to the sink and leans on it. Splashes her face with water. But it does nothing to alleviate the heat she’s feeling burning on her skin. Under her skin. Inside her. She looks at the mismatched eyes glaring back at her form the mirror.</p><p>   Fucking useless.</p><p>   She hits the reflection.</p><p>   The mirror finally cracks.</p><p>   Catra looks at it. Just great. Now she’ll have to replace it. Her anger starts to bleed out, leaving her feeling emptied.</p><p>   But her cracked reflection is still there.</p><p>   Tomorrow. She’ll fix this tomorrow.</p><p>   She heads over to her bed.</p><p>   Adora. Why can’t she just not win for a change. Is that so damn difficult.</p><p>   She crawls into the bed, feeling a rising wave of bitterness. She doesn’t try to push it down. She can hate herself for this later.</p><p>   Why can’t it all be like it used to. Why can’t it be like when Adora wasn’t her enemy.</p><p>   She clutches a pillow to herself and curls around it into a ball, burying her face in it. It’s the one she had brought from their old bunk in the dorms.</p><p>   Why can’t Adora be like she remembers her.</p><p>   She burrows deeper into it with her nose, shutting off everything else.</p><p>   Why can’t Adora be here right now, coaxing her to uncoil with her gentle fingers scratching her ears.</p><p>   Why can’t Adora be KIND.</p><p>   When Catra drifts off into sleep, she’s imagining she can still feel Adora’s scent, lingering on the pillow. </p>
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